At the Neuroplasticity and Motor Recovery (N’MORE) Lab at the University of Texas at El Paso, we investigate the biological and behavioral determinants of recovery after stroke and spinal cord injury. Our research seeks to understand when rehabilitation can change recovery, how to measure that change accurately, and what determines whether neurological recovery leads to meaningful improvements in everyday function.

Our work is driven by three interconnected scientific questions.

1. When is the nervous system most responsive to rehabilitation, and why?

The potential for motor recovery changes over time after neurological injury. Building on Dr. Geed's co-first-authored Critical Periods After Stroke Study (CPASS), which demonstrated that the timing of intensive rehabilitation influences recovery after stroke, we investigate the mechanisms that may underlie these time-sensitive responses. Our research examines cortical excitability, inhibition, and experience-dependent plasticity during recovery, alongside the role of trauma-related neuroinflammation in maladaptive neuroplasticity.

2. What constitutes meaningful recovery, and are we measuring it accurately?

Conventional assessments do not always capture the neurological or behavioral changes that matter. After stroke, we investigate the relationship between motor capacity measured in clinical settings and actual arm use in everyday life. In spinal cord injury, we develop measures of segmental neurological recovery, including myotome conversion from zero (MC-0), to identify changes that aggregate motor scores may obscure. We also develop wearable-sensor and computational approaches to quantify rehabilitation treatment content and motor behavior, improving how both treatment and recovery are measured.

3. How can we translate recovery potential into better everyday function?

The benefits of rehabilitation depend not only on biological recovery, but also on when and how treatment is delivered and the circumstances of the individuals receiving it. Our federally funded tele-CPASS clinical trial tests whether intensive, time-sensitive upper-extremity rehabilitation can be delivered effectively in the home. Complementary research examines how neurological recovery, health literacy, and patient characteristics relate to long-term functional outcomes after spinal cord injury.

How We Work

N’MORE integrates human neurophysiology, clinical trials, quantitative movement analysis, and rehabilitation outcomes research. Our work brings together clinicians, neuroscientists, engineers, and student researchers through partnerships with regional healthcare systems. We emphasize rigorous measurement, clinically meaningful questions, and hands-on research training in which undergraduate and graduate students contribute to scientific discovery, analysis, and dissemination.

Our goal is to understand when, why, and for whom rehabilitation works—and to develop better ways to measure and improve recovery after neurological injury.

Participate in Our Research

We welcome individuals recovering from stroke and healthy volunteers interested in participating in neurorehabilitation research.

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